Tech-driven scheduling powers USTA St. Louis social tennis growth

The USTA St. Louis Under 40 Social League started humbly and grew slowly. For a while.

But after more than doubling its participation numbers in 2024, there was a definite need to get things under control.

“The organizers did such a great job of advertising the league, it just exploded in popularity last summer, going from around 50 people to almost 125,” said Dominic Marticorena, who took over leadership of the social league this summer. “It just needed more infrastructure, including scheduling and making sure the pairings were more even.”

The people who were running the league were looking for organizational help. Marticorena—who received a USTA Missouri Valley award last year—moved to the St. Louis area in 2021 to pursue his doctorate in biomedical engineering. He played in the social tennis league in 2023 and 2024, and he offered to step up.

“I told them I actually knew how to make the type of algorithm that would meet the needs,” he said.

Marticorena not only designed and installed the system that organized scheduling, he took the league from a two-month endeavor in June and July and turned it into a year-round adventure. Marticorena negotiated deals with some local indoor complexes that allow for cold-weather competition.

“People loved it because it got a lot more efficient,” Marticorena said. “People got more playing time and matches became more competitive.”

Tennis & Community

Besides tennis, the social league includes after parties, some more formal than others. They typically go to Felix’s Pizza Pub for the festivities. Marticorena is a great example of a participant in the social league. He played tennis in high school but was more casual than cut-throat as a tennis player.

“What I love about it is that for a lot of people, it’s a very unique way to engage with tennis,” he said. “A lot of people pick up tennis as a way to engage with their friends. Others are going to be far more serious and are all about winning.

“It’s whatever the participant wants it to be. It can be a social gathering that uses tennis as the platform, and it can be a tennis event that takes advantage of the social part of it. We definitely have people who just wanted to play tennis, and, over time, they got a lot more social, and vice versa.”